Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, joined by Assembly Ways and Means Committee Chair Herman "Denny" Farrell Jr., and Assembly members Vivian Cook, Aurelia Greene, Mark Weprin and Adriano Espaillat, took testimony at the Assembly public hearing in New York City to examine the impact of the state's recent economic downturn and its impact on working families, small businesses and service providers.

The forum, one in a series of hearings to be scheduled throughout the state, addressed concerns about an ailing Wall Street and diminishing revenues throughout New York's financial services industry.

Assemblymen Charles Lavine and Rory Lancman also attended the hearing where testimony was provided by economists, including Noriel Roubini, New York University faculty member and author of RGEMonitor.com. Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for NYC also was among the other expert witnesses who shared their views on the economy, the global financial crisis and the policies the federal and state government may need to adopt to effectively stimulate economic growth.